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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. plane — a tool
  4. game — wild animals
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — a partner
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. wound — an injury
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. game — a match
  16. rock — a stone
  17. wound — an injury
  18. kid — to tease
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. kid — child
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. rock — music
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mate — to breed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com